Intention: The intention with the study is to describe how experienced nurses dialogues to the cancer patients with a expexted short lifespan are about spritual and existential questions. The main task in the assignment is to let a selected group of nurses experienced in this kind of dialogues, describe how the nurse would open up the conversation, bring forward the patients thoughts and show how she would receive the patient.

Theory: The study builds on studies and theoretical work based on clinical knownledge within palliative care. The theorists are Katie Eriksson and Kari Martinsen, Antonio Barbosa da Silva and Margaretha Andersson.

Method: The examination has a explorative, descriptive design. Qualitative interviewing has been used for data collecting. It was performed semistructured interviews with six respondents.

Exposition: The conclutions prove througout that the respondents have a declared stand towards questions of spiritual and existential character. The respondents themselves take initiative to dialogues of such kind. The evidents disclose these patients special need of someone to communicate matters of spiritual and existential contact with. The respondents experience that covered behind physical pain, anxiety, uneasiness and discomfort there may be a pain of spiritual and existential art. The respondents find of most crucial importance that the patient-integrity is kept privately in a very vulnerable stage of his life. The respect is maintained by letting the patient's life story reveal itself. The patient can be understood on behalf of his life experiences. The respondents goal is to clarify the patients own space and need to use his own words and by letting the patient regulate the intencity of the process of digestion. The respondents emphasis acting the "neutral" part. The respondents do not influence the patient, but search the patients wishes. The spiritual and existential areas of the dialogues include relations, meaning, future, death, faith and doubt.